Bearing in mind I've developed a bit of an appreciation for rums over the last few years, does anyone have any recommendations of (reasonably) cheap but nice whisky? It all tastes much the same to me at the moment so 25 year old single malts will be a waste

Whisky is a very varied drink. You should start off trying a few shorts in the pub to find out what your taste is. Peaty? Smokey? Iodine-y? Malty? Grassy? None of the above? If you're not used to drinking whisky and haven't developed a palate for it yet, you might like to start with something a bit safer than the crazy Islay malts. Try a Speyside malt, or Highland Park (from Orkney).

Iain Banks wrote a very good book called Raw Spirit: In Search of the Perfect Dram, which is educational and informative on the subject of whisky; but also acknowledges that it gets you off your trolley and makes your mates laugh at you. A very good read, if you are interested in finding out about whisky.

That's the point, it all tastes much the same to me In the last year or so I've had a 12 year old Laphroaig, a couple of different Glenfiddichs, some Whyte and Mackay blended and this horrible thing from Tescos for a fiver. All I can tell you is to stay away from the Tesco stuff, it gives me a f***ing horrible hangover.

My wife is more of a whisky expert than me, but if you do want to cultivate a bit of a whisky habit here's my advice:

Whisky is usually improved by adding a little water. Probably less water than there is whisky in the glass, but you can see the oils starting to separate out, and it definitely changes the 'mouthfeel' (as all the poncy books call it).

Good whisky is never improved by adding ice. Serve it at room temperature.

If the object of the exercise is to get blootered, don't get blootered on just whisky. You will end up horribly dehydrated. Whisky and beer go fine together; whisky and other spirits are usually OK; and while some people are absolutely fine mixing whisky and wine, others find that mixing the grape and the grain is a recipe for disaster. Like me, for instance.

After the first few drams, your palate will stop being sensitive to the nuances of a fine malt. So have a few nice drinks to start with, then switch to a decent blend like Bells, Whyte & Mackay, Grants etc. A decent blend will not give you the same sort of hangover you get from Tesco's Shaky Hand, er, I mean Value Brand whisky.

When you go for a poo in the morning and it smells of whisky, it is time to reconsider your lifestyle.

Roy Hunter wrote:If the object of the exercise is to get blootered, don't get blootered on just whisky.

I learnt that one a while ago. No memory of it but apparently we ended up at a mate's house where I fell off the sofa and had my feet over the armrest. I then supposedly spent five minutes shouting abuse at everyone for not helping while being unable to work out how to free my legs

On the way back from my walk today I acquired a quarter of Bells and a bottle of Glen Moray which is apparently a Speyside with toffee and butterscotch flavours That should last me quite a while

My own personal preference is for blended rather than malt, with my current favourites being Bailie Nicol Jarvie (about £15 a bottle), Asyla (around £20) and Famous Grouse (about £16). Blended is cheaper than malt as a rule, but price also depends on the age of the different whiskies in the blend (the stated age of a blend is the age of the youngest whisky in it). It goes without saying that you should stick to proper Scottish whisky IMHO. My friend on the other hand reckons Johnnie Walker Black Label is the king of blends but you pay a bit more for it (about £25).

If I'm going for a malt, I prefer Lowland ones which tend to be quite dry, fruity and mellow. I'm partial to a bit of Auchentoshan 10 Year Old Single Malt (the 18 year is even better, but at £50 a bottle it's so not in my price range!!!). You can also get some similarly lovely light ones from the Highlands - Loch Lomond malt is rather good. Had some Talisker 10 Year Old recently and that was also really good- sweet, slightly smoky with a kick at the end.

If you like your single malt smokey and peaty, you can't fault Lagavulin 16 Year Old. Not cheap (around £40 a bottle), but damn, it's good.

Ah yes, picturesque Auchentoshan... in between Clydebank and the Erskine Bridge, next to the cemetery. I pass it evey time I drive to Glasgow. Auchentoshan is one of the few Scotch whiskies that is triple distilled. Maybe it is because the water supply runs through a graveyard..?

Almighty Doer of Stuff wrote:Somehow the word "peaty" just doesn't sound like a word I'd want used to describe my beverage. "Boy, this muck I dug out of the swamp sure is tasty!"

I agree but the people that do drink tasting vocabulary are a bit odd. A relatively common component of some red wine tastes is 'petrol'

In other news, I got a bottle of Benromach yesterday and it really does taste like smoke. The actual whisky is quite mild but the aftertaste is very similar to the feeling you get after having a cigarette

I'm going to agree with Roy about adding a little water. You need only a dash. The reason for this is it changes the surface tension of the drink, so you get a much better hit on the taste buds. And as he said ice definately a no-no.

I recommend drinking whiskey for the taste (and likewise any decent real ale). If the aim of the game is just getting hammered, sh*t lager, vodka etc is probably the way to go.

Almighty Doer of Stuff wrote:Somehow the word "peaty" just doesn't sound like a word I'd want used to describe my beverage. "Boy, this muck I dug out of the swamp sure is tasty!"

Went to a whisky tasting the other week and had an Islay that was as "peaty" as you can get but I took it to mean the smoky flavour of the drink (tasted like it was served in an ashtray used by a fine cigar smoker). I was told they made it in winter when you don't go out side for any reason other than to get more dried peat for the fire and because of bad chimney designs the smoke infuses the product. However it could have been the old pirate doing the show was just tugging my wooden leg.